Electrolytic apparatus.



H. HENKEL & W. WEBER.

ELEOTROLYTIG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1913.

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UETTED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

HUGO HENKEL AND WALTER WEBER, 0E DUssELDonE, GERMANY, Assrenons To THE FIRM oF HENKEL & CIE., or DUSSELDORF, GERMANY.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

Application led J une 16, 1913. Serial N o. 774,053.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HUGO HENKEL and` WALTER WEBER, citizens of the German Empire, and residing at Dusseldorf, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Apparatus, of which the following is al specification.

Our invention relates to ap aratus for the continuous production of hy rogen peroxid.

In a known process of synthetically makusual method of stirring can Ano longer be.

used. Continuous working ofsuch apparatus gives rise to diiiiculties inasmuch as the concentration of the anode liquid is so changed in a short time that irregularities occur in the progress of the reaction. Since it is highly desirable to maintain a low temperature in the cathode chamber, provision must be made for this, but it is extremely dilcult to cool down the cathode liquid.

A primary object ofour invention -is to provide an improved apparatus for continuously producn hydrogen peroxid to which the above-mentioned drawbacks ai'e not attached. To this end, we make the apparatus inthe form of a tube.

Such form of apparatus has various advantages :-Firstly,

it can be readily manufactured for high pressures; second1y, it can be readily maintained at predetermlned temperatures, and,

thirdly, owing to its small diameter the cover of the ap aratus can be very readily manipulated an packedtight.

Another important advantage of our aparatus is that the anode and cathode chamers can be directly connected by means of orifices in the bottom of. the diaphragm.

Continuous operation is thereb obtained in a very effective manner. 'Furt er, the finely distributed oxygen which forms at the anode is utilized for forming the peroxid. Furthermore, owing 'to causin the electrolyte to How through the anode c amberv'and then through the cathodeichamber, weavoid that variation of the-relative concentration of the cathodeA and anode liquids which causes disturbances when electrolyzing with separated anode and cathode chambers. Finally, a special advantage of the form we have se-l lected for the apparatus is that it enables the diaphragm and electrodes to be so arranged that mechanical stirring in the cathode chamber is replaced by the effect of the high speed of the flowing liquid.

One illustrative embodiment of our invention`is represented by way of example in the accompanying drawing showing one preferred form of our apparatus in vertical section.

Referring to the drawing, in a long steel tube a of 100-150 mm. inside diameter and closed below is located a cylinder A of a ceramic mass'cemented at its upper end to thewall-of the steel tube. All the remaining parts of the flanged tube as well as its cover b are provided with a coat-ing of a material e. g. of gold or rubber, which is not attacked by sulfuric acid or other electrolytes employed. The receptacle A contains, firstly, the anode E formed as a carbon or magnetite cylinder for example. In this anode is the clay diaphragm B having at its lower end several apertures B through which the electrolyte has direct accessjt'o the chamber in the diaphragm. In this chamber is the porous porcelain tube C which with the exception of a small intermediate space completely lls the chamber. This tube either carries the cathode as a wire K wound around it, or is impregnated with the cathode metal. During e ectrolysis oxygen is forced by pressure through this tube C. For this purpose, the

latter is screwed'to the tube F which passes through the cover and is connected to the oxygen compressor. The electrolyte, which has already been saturated with oxygen at the working? pressure, flows throu h the tube G connected vto the tube a, then t rough the anode chamber of theelectrolytic apparatus, thence through the bottom apertures in the diaphragm B, and then with considerable velocity through the narrow chamber A around the cathode, finally leaving the electrolytic apparatus through the tubev H.4 Changes i'n concentration such as are unavoidable when electrolyzing with separate anode and cathode chambers are now prevented owing to the electrolyte'owing continuously through both chambers. The electrolyte is saturated with oxygen when it arrives at the cathode. The high speed attained at the cathode serves as a substitute for mechanical stirring. The oxygen issuing from the pores of the tube C assists this effect, and in addition prevents the electrolyte becoming poorer in dissolved oxygen at certain places. Vhen passing through the narrow cathode chamlber the electrolyte becomes enriched with hydrogen peroxid and enters with the desired concentration of hydrogen peroxid into the enlarged portion B2 of the diaphragm B, whence it is continually discharged through the tube I-I.

We claim l. In electrolytic apparatus of the character described, the combination of a long tubular vessel adapted to stand a high internal pressure, a ceramic cylinder in said vessel, a tubular anode in said cylinder, a tubular diaphragm having apertures at t-he bottom end thereof in said anode, a porous porcelain tube in said diaphragm, and a cathode connected to said porcelain tube.

2. In electrolytic apparatus of the character described, the combination of a long tubular vessel adapted to stand a high internal pressure, a ceramic cylinder in said vessel, a tubular anode in said cylinder, a tubular diaphragm having apertures at the bottom end thereof in said anode, a porous porce` lain tube in said diaphragm, and-a cathode connected to said porcelain tube, said porce-4 lain tube almost completely filling said diaphragm.

3. In electrolytic apparatus of the character described, the combination of a vert-ical steel tube closed at its lower end and having an inlet near the top thereof, a ceramic liner in the tube extending from the inlet to the bot-tom of the tube, a tubular anode in said liner, and resting on the bottom thereof, a tubular diaphragm having an enlarged portion in the steel tube above the anode and a smaller portion extending in the anode to the bottom of the steel tube, said diaphragm having apertures in the bottom end thereof at the bottom of the steel tube, a cover closing the top end of the steel tube and of the diaphragm, a porous porcelain tube attached inside to, and opening through said cover and projecting into the smaller portion of the diaphragm, a cathode wire wound around said porcelain tube, and a discharge tube passing through said cover into the enlarged portion of the diaphragm.

In testimony whereof, we aliix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

HUGO HENKEL. [1... s] WALTER WEBER. [L. s] Witnesses:

HELEN NUFER, ALBERT NUFER. 

